772 
Olea euro-pea. (Oleaceae.) 38336. Cuttings of olive from 
Bermuda. Collected by Mr. Peter Bisset, of this Office. 
"Cuttings from an olive that fruits sparingly in Bermuda. 
For trial in Florida, where soil and climatic conditions are 
similar and where the olive does not fruit." (Bisset.) 
Oryza sativa. (Poaceae.) 38327. Seed of a rice from 
Dakhla Oasis, Western Egypt. Purchased from Sheikh Abu 
Bakr, through contract made by Prof. S. C. Mason, of this 
Bureau, on his visit to the Oasis in October 1913. "This 
rice is a variety grown in the Oases of Kharga and Dakhla, 
and regarded by the natives as quite distinct from the so- 
called valley rice which is used in reclaiming the salty 
lands in the delta of lower Egypt. Mr. Wright, manager of 
the Corporation of Western Egypt at Kharga, and Sheikh Abu 
Bakr, the chief man of Dakhla Oasis, both especially recom- 
mended this rice as being a valuable crop for reclaiming ' 
salty lands. They stated that it can be grown successfully 
on land quite too strong for barley. My idea in bring- 
ing this in was not that it would be of sufficient impor- 
tance to use as a main crop on high priced irrigated lands, 
but that it should be given a test as a useful crop in re- 
claiming lands at present too salty for the growing of al- 
falfa and barley. There are considerable areas of land of 
this character in the Coachella valley accessible to a 
good flow of artesian water. In Dakhla the land is bordered 
up with quite high ridges, and the water kept almost 
continuously on the rice, it being essential, of course, 
that there be some wash or lower tract into which the sur- 
plus water can be thrown. My idea is that it is this ex- 
cess of water that really does the chief work of improving 
the alkaline ground rather than the rice crop itself, but 
if a crop of rice can be raised toward the expense of re- 
claiming such land and bringing it into condition for use- 
fulness with other crops, the rice certainly justifies it- 
self." (Mason.) 
Osterdamia sp. (Poaceae.) 38177. Cuttings of a grass 
from the mountains near Tai an fu, Shantung, China. "A 
grass of low growth and of spreading habit, thriving to 
perfection on thin decomposed rock soil, along mountain 
paths where much tramping over takes place; also found on 
inclines where the mat of roots prevents the soil from be- 
ing washed out. Of decided value apparently as a bank, 
lawn and golf-course grass, especially for the drier parts 
of the United States." (Meyer's Introduction.) 
Paeonia albiflora. (Ranunculaceae . ) 38339. Plants of 
herbaceous peonies from Tsaochou fu, Shantung, China. Amortg^' 
these are said to be yellow, green and black peonies. 
(Meyer's introduction.) 
